Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Bea Arthur, Rock Hudson & Madame in The Beatrice Arthur Special (1979)

In what amounted to arguably, perhaps the most over the top hour ever on television Bea Arthur starred in this musical review featuring Rock Hudson, Melba Moore and the risque Madame. They performed numbers, like the one below, did some wacky comedy and changed clothes a lot. There are quite a few clips available on YouTube, though the show is obscure enough to have been overlooked by IMDB.

Here, the entire ensemble shares the gospel with an appreciative crowd. This show has never made it to commercial DVD, though you can get unofficial versions on sites like iOffer.com.

Obscurity factor: 10 (not on DVD, available in parts on YouTube, not even on IMDB)

4 comments:

  1. How on earth did I ever miss this one? I never even heard of it before a minute ago. I love you!

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  2. I remember this! I was a high school kid when it aired and I copied so many lines from this for my faux-sophisticated teenaged years. Madame's "PRAISE THE LORD!" from that scene has always stuck with me. No wonder I turned out the way I did...

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  3. I can only remember that "Turning On" musical number - very 70s. Imagine an ode to drug use passing muster today. Hilarious!

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  4. I just watched it again last night. It's a wacky special! Some scenes work better than others - Bea playing Steve Martin's mother is kinda strange.

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